Reminiscent of the Cardiff furore last season when the Welsh version of the Blues refused their allocation for Elland Road over ticket pricing, it seems that there is a similar outcry from the Midland version of the Blues.
Birmingham City blogger Chris Quinn, writing in the Birmingham Mail, certainly thinks so criticising Leeds United for the price of their away ticket pricing stating strong beliefs over the £37 ticket price being charged to Birmingham fans. The strength of his stance can be seen in the title of his piece where he accuses Leeds’ stance as one that “smacks of arrogance” and that club are guilty of “extortionate pricing.”
Initially angered by his wording, as a passionate Leeds fan myself, I was on the warpath. Then I took a sip of my brew and thought for a moment. I straightened my flat cap, stroked my whimpering whippet and thought to myself, “Do you know what, this lad is on to something.” £37 in anyone’s terms is a hard and high figure to swallow, no matter how beautiful the game being played. To be fair to Birmingham fans, the way Leeds United have been playing at Elland Road, the beauty of the game will likely be buried under a mask of ugliness – such is Leeds’ home form.
Birmingham City supporters group, the Blues Collective are intending to protest at Elland Road and add their voice to the ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ campaign, instigated by the Football Supporters Federation, and will be joined by their Leeds United counterparts. Flags depicting each club’s support of the ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ campaign will be displayed on the steps of the Billy Bremner statue at Elland Road in a show of solidarity with the fair price movement, which has designated this weekend as a ‘National Weekend of Action’. Supporters of both clubs have, however, been refused permission to take the protest inside the ground with the flags themselves, a rallying and focal point for protest, denied entry permission to the ground.
On a weekend where the ethos of ‘solidarnosc‘ is being highlighted, it is refreshing to see like-minded groups of fans coming together. At the home of The Whites, it seems that the phrase ‘United’ will take on a different meaning as fans of both Leeds and Birmingham combine to stick two fingers up at unfair ticketing prices for away fans.
